Wii U Review: Chasing Aurora

Nintendo Wii U had a great number of launch titles, from the system’s eShop as well as from retailers. One of those titles is Chasing Aurora, a competitive multiplayer 2D aerial action game featuring bird people in flight chasing each other.

The game itself is cell shaded. The developer Broken Rules used a scheme of rich colors making the backgrounds feel alive even though it is only a 2D world. The colors put the players in a relaxing mood, as does the soundtrack.

Chasing Aurora has three multiplayer modes and one single player mode. The multiplayer modes include Hide and Seek, Freeze Tag, and Chase. Each player picks a different-colored bird person, and one uses the Wii U controller while the others use Wii remotes. Players control the birds’ flight by pressing the D-pad, flap with one button, and dive with another.

In Hide and Seek, the Wii U-controlled bird carries a pendant in its feet called Aurora’s Gem. The other birds view the action on the TV and try and find the bird carrying the gem. The hider can trick the others by dropping the gem, but don’t forget to pick it up before the others find it! If the hider can keep from getting caught, he or she wins. But if the others find them first, they win.

In Freeze Tag, one player controls an ice bird on the Wii U controller, and the rest are regular bird people on the TV screen. If the ice bird touches another player, that player will be frozen in ice. Other birds can revive frozen comrades by simply touching them. If you are off the screen for too long, you’ll be frozen as well. The Wii U controller player wins if all other birds are frozen.

The last mode is Chase. In this one, the Wii U-controlled bird has the Aurora’s Gem pendant, and the others must try and catch it. But if the chasers get left behind and are off the TV screen for a couple of seconds, they lose a point. Lose all three points and you’re out of the game. Whoever has the pendant for the longest time wins. I’m not even sure if this mode really even uses the Wii U controller in any clever way.

You can play each of these modes in several tournament levels with up to five players. There is also a single-player mode where one bird flies around a track, soaring through gates and arrows to increase the score in a given amount of time. There are lots of varying stages with different obstacles like lightning strikes, waterfalls, wind, and other elements that can affect your flight. The game’s single-player mode can be played on the Wii U gamepad or on the TV. The different challenge modes can be enjoyed by people of all ages and the difficulty range goes from easy to nightmare to impossible.

The only problem with this game is that for the price point, it seems a bit paltry as compared to other Wii U multiplayer titles like Nintendo Land. The game cannot be played online.

In a day and age where most games either have you shooting something or playing some type of sport, this game creates a whole different world, in which you are playing as a bird going through challenge courses. It has a different feel, from the music to the cell shading graphics. Chasing Aurora screams relaxation.

Chasing Aurora is rated E (Everyone) by the ESRB for Mild Fantasy Violence. This game can only be found on Wii U.